Travel FAQ
Regional Visa-Free Entry Policies for Foreign Nationals
The major regional visa-free entry policies
for foreign nationals of China are as follows.
I. 30-Day Visa-free Entry Policy for
Foreign Nationals Entering Hainan Province. Foreign
nationals holding ordinary passports from 59 countries may enter and stay
within the administrative region of Hainan Province for a maximum of 30 days
without a visa for short-term stays for purposes associated with tourism,
business, visits, family visits, medical treatment, conferences and
exhibitions, sports competitions, etc. The policy does not apply to those who
intend to enter for working or studying. The exit-entry ports for the foreign
nationals concerned include all the open ports in Hainan. The 59 countries are
Albania, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia and
Herzegovina, Brazil, Brunei, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech
Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland,
Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg,
Malaysia, Malta, Mexico, Monaco, Montenegro, the Netherlands, New Zealand,
North Macedonia, Norway, the Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, the Republic
of Korea, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain,
Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, Ukraine, the United Arab Emirates, the United
Kingdom and the United States.
II. Visa-Free Entry Policy for Foreign
Tourist Groups Traveling by Cruise Ships. Any
foreign tourist group consisting of two or more individuals, which is organized
and received by a travel agency registered in China, may enter China without a
visa by a cruise ship via one of the cruise ports in the following 13 cities:
Beihai (Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region), Dalian (Liaoning Province),
Guangzhou (Guangdong Province), Haikou (Hainan Province), Lianyungang (Jiangsu
Province), Qingdao (Shandong Province), Sanya (Hainan Province), Shanghai,
Shenzhen (Guangdong Province), Tianjin, Wenzhou (Zhejiang Province), Xiamen
(Fujian Province) and Zhoushan (Zhejiang Province). All eligible foreign
tourist groups shall continue their journey to the following scheduled ports
and depart China with the same cruise ship as scheduled. The tourists concerned
may stay in the Beijing and 11 coastal provinces, autonomous regions, and
municipalities directly under the Central Government (namely Fujian, Guangdong,
Guangxi, Hainan, Hebei, Jiangsu, Liaoning, Shandong, Shanghai, Tianjin, and
Zhejiang) for a maximum of 15 days.
III. Visa-Free Entry Policy for Tourist
Groups Entering Xishuangbanna, Yunnan Province from ASEAN Member States. Any tourist group (consisting of two or more individuals
holding ordinary passports) from a member state of the Association of Southeast
Asian Nations (ASEAN) may enter and exit China through Xishuangbanna Gasa
International Airport, Mohan Railway Port, and Mohan Highway Port visa-free,
provided that the tourist group is organized and received by a travel agency
registered in China. The tourists concerned shall enter and leave China as part
of their tourist group, and can stay within the administrative region of
Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture for a maximum of 6 days. The ASEAN
member states include Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the
Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.
IV. Visa-Free Entry Policy for Tourist
Groups Entering Guilin, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region from ASEAN Member
States. Any tourist group (consisting of two
or more individuals holding ordinary passports) from a member state of the
Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) may enter and exit China through
the airport in Guilin visa-free, provided that the tourist group is organized
and received by a travel agency registered in China. The tourists concerned
shall enter and leave China as part of their tourist group, and can stay within
the administrative region of Guilin, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region for a
maximum of 6 days. The ASEAN member states include Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia,
Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.
V. Visa-Free Entry Policy for Foreign
Tourist Groups Traveling from Hong Kong and Macao Special Administrative
Regions (SARs) to Guangdong Province. Foreign
nationals holding ordinary passports from countries with diplomatic relations
with China may enter nine cities in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay
Area, as well as Shantou, without a visa, provided that they will enter Hong
Kong or Macao SAR first and then enter Guangdong Province as part of a tourist
group organized by a travel agency registered in any of the two SARs. The
foreign tourists in this case can stay for a maximum of 6 days in the following
cities: Dongguan, Foshan, Guangzhou, Huizhou, Jiangmen, Shantou, Shenzhen,
Zhaoqing, Zhongshan and Zhuhai. The tourists concerned shall enter and exit the
Chinese mainland as part of their tourist group via any of the exit-entry ports
in these 10 cities.
VI. Visa-Free Entry Policy for Foreign
Tourist Groups Traveling from Hong Kong and Macao Special Administrative
Regions (SARs) to Hainan Province. Foreign
nationals holding ordinary passports from countries with diplomatic relations
with China may enter Hainan Province without a visa, provided that they will
enter Hong Kong or Macao SAR first and then enter Hainan Province as part of a
tourist group organized by a travel agency registered in any of the two SARs.
The tourists concerned shall enter and exit the Hainan Province as part of
their tourist group via any of the exit-entry ports in Hainan and can stay for
a maximum of 6 days.
The stay period specified in any of the
aforementioned policies is calculated from 0:00 on the day after the day of
entry.
The duration of stay without a visa is
calculated from the next day of entry and
lasts for 30 calendar days.
For the individuals who meet the
requirements specified in the bilateral visa exemption agreements and the
unilateral visa exemption policies of China, the relevant regulations shall
prevail.
